


The Best of Us

by remuslupinlover



Series: After the End (The Last of Us) [1]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Bi-Curiosity, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Post-Apocalypse, Slight Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, two curse words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remuslupinlover/pseuds/remuslupinlover
Summary: Ellie is beginning to navigate romantic waters and needs a shoulder besides Joel's to lean on. She's not the only one with a confession to make. Fluff OFC x Joel with bi-curious Ellie and a mention of Tommy or two."You should tell him how you feel too." Sam's shoulders tensed at the statement, her face drawing away from Ellie's head. "And don't give me the 'it's complicated' thing because Joel says it all the time."Sam groaned, biting her tongue before she could ask what else Joel says but knowing she'd been caught in a tight spot here. "Okay, okay". Sam replied, throwing her arms up in mock defeat as she pulled away. "How about I give you something better." She held out her hand, curled in a fist with her pinkie sticking out. "I'll pinkie promise you that if you tell this mystery girl how you feel...I'll talk with Joel.
Relationships: Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Character(s), Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: After the End (The Last of Us) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815124
Comments: 7
Kudos: 43





	The Best of Us

**Author's Note:**

> Of course it would be some cute old man to draw me back into writing trash fiction. This time, Joel Miller from The Last of Us. I've ignored canon time line and plot for this. Just a slight divergence to explore what a nice lil OFC could do with Joel and Ellie in their post-apocalyptic settlement. I wanted to leave the OFC Sam a bit androgynous and non-binary so you can read into it however you feel. If you feel so inclined please leave some comments or critiques below, I can't promise I won't disappear for three years again but just know I'm out here trying my best and I love you!

It was going to be a damn sunny day. Not a cloud in sight. Thankfully the breeze was as constant as the hum of the surrounding locusts. They sang from the forests edge, where the tall grasses swayed back and forth, dancing yellows and greens blocking the unknown shadows behind the tree line.

Despite the early start, sweat had already began dripping down Sam's forehead. She felt a drop roll down the bridge of her nose, watched it plop onto the dirt beside the tomato plant at her feet.

_I wasn't lying when I said I put blood, sweat, and tears into this garden._

Fingers wrapped around the reddening tomato before pulling it off its stem. Another one added to the wicker basket strapped to her back. The process took time, but she had learned how to maneuver her way around the plots and plants efficiently throughout the many seasons. Plus, she didn't mind getting her hands dirty. By the time the sun had pealed over the top of the tree line she was lounging near the north end of the fields, where the tomatoes turned to carrots and rabbit traps needed resetting daily.

She loved this part of town most. Not just because it was a commonly unfrequented corner so she could enjoy the solitude, but because it had one of the best views over the raggedy makeshift civilization. Rows of vegetables and herbs had been planted along the upper hills of town, overlooking the renovated houses and made over street down below. The tall wire fencing had taken months of defense and offense, working the infected back enough to secure the perimeter. But as soon as the last plank and tie had been secured, a symbol of safety had been created. The rising sun cast blooming pinks and golds against the tin metal roofs and telephone wires, illuminating the small haven she'd come to call home.

She wouldn't admit it out loud for anyone to hear, but she knew another reason she loved this hill top was because it was closest to Joel's house. Some days if he was pleasant (or drunk) enough, Sam could hear the light strumming of a guitar from his porch below.

Today seemed to be one of those mornings and the singing locusts were joined by the acoustic pickings of no song in particular but lovely harmony nonetheless. Sam had slung the wicker backpack to the ground beside her, scooting back so the tall grasses behind her blocked out the rising sun. She closed her eyes, ears straining over the whispering breeze and bugs to hear the melodic strumming still. It was easy to let time pass like this, with the locusts and Joel's guitar and a full basket of vegetables to take back to town.

Or were they technically a fruit?

A sharp rustling in the brush behind her made her ears twitch but she kept her eyes shut. Straining she listened to the crunching leaves, following the sounds as they seemingly moved closer. The locusts quieted, letting the soft strumming from the porch down hill take over. Sam counted to five as she inhaled, holding for a beat before exhaling. Goosebumps ran up her sleeveless arms when a twig crunched nearby, closer than what felt comfortable.

Sam's eyes snapped open as her hand reaching instinctively to her side, grasping the handle of her knife.

"Sorry!" a shadow above her cried. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."

"Didn't scare me, Ellie" Sam laughed as her hand dropped back to her side. Sam gave the silhouette of the teenager girl a smile as she flipped over onto her side and looked behind her into the tall grasses. The unsettled feeling hadn't quite left her yet. But that didn't stop the younger woman from falling to the space beside her, joining Sam in staring into the tree line beyond the wire fence.

"You okay?" Ellie asked, distracted as a bird flew out over the field towards town.

Sam turned with her, resting back against the heavy wicker basket. "No worries. Just another day in paradise." she teased as she reached out to pluck a snagged piece of grass in Ellie's hair. The rustling had quieted down, leaving the bugs and variation of chords Joel was playing to break up the silence between the pair. Sam couldn't quite place the song, but Ellie's fidgeting hand had the majority of Sam's attention.

"How about you? Something on your mind?"

The younger girl sighed quietly, glancing over at Sam with sad eyes before staring off towards the houses. A minute of silence paused over them as Sam gave Ellie space to express herself. The tension the teenager held in her forehead told Sam that something was concerning her friend.

"I just-," Ellie blurted finally, pausing as another bird soared above them towards town. "I'm just so confused." She said softly, picking at the grass by her side, eyes avoiding her silent companion.

The nervous tapping fingers told Sam to proceed with caution. "About something in particular?"

The grunt that came from Ellie would've made an excellent impression of Joel, and would've had Sam laughing if the grunt wasn't followed by another look of sad eyes.

"Or _someone_ in particular." Sam corrected, watching the pink blush across Ellie's cheek before she looked away quickly.

Sam's attention was distracted when the soft strumming of Joel's guitar fell silent, putting an end to the morning melody she'd been enjoying. From here she could see that last of him disappear inside his house, the tail end of the guitar slipping inside the doorway behind him. It must have been around eight or so now, the other houses and its inhabitants waking and rising for today's work.

"I'm always here to listen if you wanna talk about it," Sam promised the younger woman, turning her head to watch Ellie pluck a premature dandelion from the ground, twisting the stem around her finger. "Or kick somebody's ass." She added. "No questioned asked."

"No asses in need of kicking right now, but I appreciate the offer." Ellie laughed, tossing the bent flower stem off into the breeze. She was still too quiet for the normal teenage Ellie that Sam had gotten so accustomed to. Thankfully, Ellie was a much easier book to read than Joel. Some days trying to talk with Joel felt like trying to communicate with a grizzly bear. Didn't stop Sam from willingly walking into the bear's den most evenings.

From their vantage point on the hill top, Sam and Ellie watched the citizens of Jackson slowly begin their day as the sun fully rose above the tree line. An older pair of men sat in front of the general store playing with handcrafted dominoes. Matrons clipping forever dirty shirts and clothes on the drying lines. Children on foot running past on their way to the makeshift school house for today's lessons. To say life since the breakout had changed was an understatement. But these small symbols of normalcy, of the before times, made it a place of thriving and not just survival. It was different when kid's learned how to use pencils instead of knives and PE didn't include hand to hand combat. But these were the new normal. Unfortunately, teenage romance was alive and well and that hadn't changed a bit.

"I kissed someone. A girl." Ellie said in a soft tone, as if the whispered truth would spark a fire if too loud.

A wave of affected washed over Sam. "How do you feel?" Her heart went out to the younger girl sitting next to her. She could remember her own awkward first dates, the disaster of online dating and hook-ups and teenage love affairs. To imagine having those experiences during the downfall of mankind put those hard feelings in a new perspective. Ellie was navigating the romantic waters for the first time. Learning how to swim in those water isn't always easy. The tingles of dipping your toes in, like the butterflies of a crush. Or first loves where the overwhelming rush of rapids feels exhilarating, the unknown ahead but rocks and barriers that can crush you easily. The inevitability of going over that waterfall, losing yourself or gaining the entire lake below.

Ellie pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself in comfort. "I'm not sure. I-" she chewed her bottom lip, exhaling through her nose. "I liked it?"

"I want you to know there's nothing wrong with that." Sam put her hand on Ellie's shoulder, fingers squeezing the cotton fabric underneath. "It's okay to be attracted to girls. Or boys, or people who are don't care to be called either. It's something I don't think we truly get a say in." They sat for a moment in a more comfortable quiet. Sam wanted to let Ellie process, seeing the wheels turning inside the teenager's head. Joel had a serious talking to coming. Had he known the emotions Ellie had been feeling or had this been a new development she'd only just uncovered?

"Have you ever been attracted to girls?" The question made Sam's face crack in a smile, wanting to laugh at how a simple question once meant life or death. And now it was so easy to say, "Have been? Still am. I can appreciate the fellas too. But attraction and love can be two different roads that don't always cross. Love's a lot trickier, trust me." Sam rambled off, watching Ellie lift her head as she took in the words. That gleam in the teenager's eye didn't go unnoticed and Sam's mind began back pedaling quickly. If a comment about Sam's own love life was on Ellie's tongue, she was either kind enough to let it go or cruel enough to save it for later memory.

"I'm in no place to tell you what to do but I think you should talk with this girl and ask her how she feels too."

"What about Joel-"

"Don't worry about Joel. Ellie, you're 16 now. You're old enough to feel however you want to feel, regardless of whatever someone else tells you. It's your life and your body. Joel knows you're a strong, independent, young woman. He can be a little oblivious sometimes-" the snort from Ellie didn't help. "But he'll come around, I promise. We both love you, Ellie. I'm here for you always." Sam's arm moved to wrap around Ellie's shoulders, letting the weight of the younger woman fall against her as they embraced.

"Thank you." Ellie whispered against Sam's shirt collar after she curled into Sam's side, the older woman holding her loosely. A moment of affection that put a stabbing pain in Sam's chest. The truth was that these people had sneaked their way into her heart over the many moons and if Joel was Ellie's father figure, she felt a connect to the girl in her arms like an adoptive mother. Sam's eyes drifted towards Joel's house, feeling her face grow hot when she saw his silhouette upstairs quickly tugging the window curtain closed. The room he had been using to build and carve. It was a pleasant room to be in, Sam knew from experience. Nights of sitting in the tattered green arm chair in the corner, peaking over the top of her book to watch him work behind the wooden desk. A small cracked table lamp illuminating his broad shoulders and tools, the sounds of him working and breathing. Sam would be lying if she said it wasn't comforting to be around him. Not that she would admit that to his face.

"You should tell him how you feel too." Sam's shoulders tensed at the statement, her face drawing away from Ellie's head. "And don't give me the 'it's complicated' thing because Joel says it all the time."

Sam groaned, biting her tongue before she could ask what else Joel says but knowing she'd been caught in a tight spot here. "Okay, okay". Sam replied, throwing her arms up in mock defeat as she pulled away. "How about I give you something better." She held out her hand, curled in a fist with her pinkie sticking out. "I'll pinkie promise you that if you tell this mystery girl how you feel...I'll talk with Joel-

"Tonight.

"Okay tonight-" Sam huffed with a soft glare.

"And you'll talk about your feelings. Don't try to throw in a loop hole"

Sam groaned again. "Yes, okay, I will talk with Joel about feelings-

"Your feelings."

"My feelings-

"-for him-"

"Ellie-" before Sam could berate her Ellie had wrapped her pinkie around Sam's with a light squeeze.

"Promise to meet up later tonight so you can tell me what he says!" she grinned as she pulled away to stand, brushing the scattered blades of grass from her lap.

"That's not part of the pinkie promise" Sam stood, lifting the wicker backpack strap around her shoulder. But Ellie was already halfway down the hill, headed towards the town center. Sam glanced back towards Joel's estate, no movement in the windows or porch. He'd started his day like the rest of them. Best I do the same, she thought as she wiped away the sweat on her forehead.

* * * * * * *

"Saw you in the field this morning with Ellie."

His voice broke the half hour long silence they'd been sharing in the kitchen. Sam's hands stilled beneath the soapy sink water, clutching the plate and cloth rag in her hands. They had finished a somewhat comfortable dinner considering it was just the two of them. Ellie had eaten at the bar with her friends, much to Joel's displeasure. It was clearly the reason he had been so quiet throughout their meal. But Sam found the quiet night in a relaxing change. She had persuaded him into bringing the record player downstairs to provide some background music while they cooked. When they'd finished eating Sam gathered the dishes and let herself bask in a moment of domestic bliss. Sam knew that Ellie's distancing from Joel had been from fear of his rejection. If only Ellie knew just how much Joel feared her rejecting him.

"What were y'all talking about?" The small cough after nearly gave him away but Sam let it slide, continuing to wipe the last plate clean before rinsing it in the clean water. She let him wait while she dried her hands on a nearby towel, turning and walking to turn off the record player and bring them to total silence. Joel watched her as she appeared and leaned against the wooden frame, a weathered frown on his tired face. Sam still considered him the best looking guy in town, even more so since he'd been too lazy to cut his hair recently. Something about those wavy locks brushing past his ears sent a tingle down her spine.

"She needed to get something off her chest." Sam watched Joel's face contort. "She's not in trouble, stop worrying." Despite his glare she saw the relief behind his eyes and relaxing posture. Just as he leaned back against the flat cushion she had to joke. "Don't suppose you've had _the talk_ with her?" The question made his head snap back over in a mix of shock and embarrassment.

"No! I-I, well she ain't ever asked really." Joel said rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

"It's okay. She's a smart kid. We made a good start today." His questioning look told her to continue. She'd have to proceed carefully. "It's not completely my place to say." Sam started slowly, moving to sit on the other side of the couch. She curled her legs underneath her, more for her own comfort as she felt the older man's eyes watching her. "You should try and talk with her. She's old enough that she's starting to be interested in a relationship." He groaned loudly as he head fell back against the couch.

"It's that new kid Jesse innit?" he muttered gruffly, staring out the window watching the sun dip below the tallest house's roof. They'd turn the string lights on soon.

"Not exactly. She might have feelings for another girl, someone named Kat." Sam said gently, hoping the truth wouldn't upset Joel like Ellie had believed. The puppy dog eyes that look over at her nearly break her heart. Of course he would understand, deep down Joel was a lover.

"She doesn't want to tell me." He made it seem like a hard factual statement to wound himself. She watched his shoulders slump, a pain in his furrowed eyebrows. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to build up that protective wall.

"That's why you should talk to her, Joel." Sam said, wanting to reach out an comfort him with touch like she did Ellie. If only that thought didn't frighten her. Just the idea of Joel tucking her underneath his chin like she did the teen girl put a few butterflies in her stomach. She suddenly felt nauseous dreaming of butterflies while Joel sat visibly in pain. "She wants to tell you."

Joel gave a loud sigh, eyes falling shut for a minute. He looked almost peaceful with his head leaning back against the cushion, shoulders rising and falling with his even breath. "I just want her to be happy." He whispered after a few minutes. His eyes remained closed after the confession but he held a tension in his forehead. "Why do I fuck it up every time?"

"You haven't fucked anything up, Joel." He'd rarely gotten this emotional and the honesty of his words touched Sam's heart. "I promise. Just let her talk to you and listen."

Another sigh and he finally opened his eyes, shifting to look at her across the couch. Her heartbeat sped up and her tongue suddenly felt too big for her mouth. The teasing words of Ellie burned inside her. I will talk to him about my feelings.

"You did the right thing letting her live." Sam had been dying to tell him that since he had confessed his story to her and Tommy that day when riding their horses back to town. That he had stolen Ellie from the Fireflies after discovering the inevitable result of making the cure. That he, single-handed, had basically destroyed the headquarters and operation of the only known vaccine makers. When the final words had left his lips and Tommy finally gave Joel a piece of his mind, Sam had stood by and turned the story about piece by piece in her mind. This stubborn, lonely man had crossed through Hell to save a little girl. He'd branded himself for the rest of his days for choosing to save a daughter that wasn't his with the last shred of his humanity. Joel had chosen his family and the pit in Sam's stomach ached with jealously that she could be a part of his family too.

"I know you love her and you want to protect her. You've been through so much together." He was still looking at her, staring and watching her face as she slowly gained the courage to spill her heart. "I know that she loves you too. She does," she repeats when Joel looks away. "But she's practically an adult now. You've got to let your little bird out of the nest."

"'ts dangerous." Joel grumbled not looking away from the window, fingers tapping the arm of the couch.

"I know. You've done a fine job helping her learn to survive. She's lucky to have you." The snort Joel makes reminds her similarly of Ellie's that morning. The time the two of them spent together shows in their small mannerisms and quirks. Sam's chest warms at the love she feels for the pair. "I'm lucky to have you." Sam confesses, letting the words hover between them in the dark silence. The glow of the lamp in the corner and the street lights from the window cast shadows around them in the living room. "I...I know I've only got bit more than a decade or so on her I love Ellie like my own." The words are coming fast now, a mixture of emotions bubbling up her throat, teasing her tongue.

"Having you and Ellie," Sam reaches out her hand, barely brushing against the couch cushion before her fingertips fall just short of Joel's hand. "having you and Ellie make me feel human again. Like I'm part of something ya know. I understand why Ellie wants to be in love because it makes days feel like they're worth something. We're all we've got left now and I just feel so damn lucky to have you..and Ellie." Sam adds after a breath, feeling the heat in her face. The words are finally out. Just short of an all out love confessional but it feels like a good place for Sam to stop talking and watch the graying haired man process it all. She's spoken her truth and now she's ready to reap.

There's been moments that Sam was sure a spark has passed between them and she knows it scares them both more than anything. But in a second of idiotic bravery, she reaches out to wrap her index finger around his, a small simple gesture. But a beat passes with her finger curled around his calloused skin and the goosebumps are back running up her arms in an electric way. She disengages, afraid of the potential rejection. She'd always been okay to keep things the rise and fall of tease and leave. She never wanted to pressure Joel to the point of discomfort. They don't need to put words to anything right now. Hell she wouldn't even know how to describe it at all. It's taken her weeks to sort through these feelings. Joel's like the rabbits in the carrot patch, startled easily and ready to run at any moment.

"I'm glad I've got you. I mean I'm glad I've got...you too". he confesses. It holds more weight than he perhaps intended.

Sam blinks to clear the threat of tears from forming when Joel reaches back to gently take her hand. Their fingers linked slowly, weathered skin and wrinkles and nails with dirt still under them from picking tomatoes. But joined together she feels stronger. And while she wants to say that too, she holds her tongue and instead gives the older man a smile. They can take their time for now. There was no need to rush and she hoped he would see similarly when dealing with Ellie. For now they had each other and that was enough.


End file.
